Managing Stormwater Runoff and Promoting Low Impact Development and Green Infrastructure

Problem

Thousands of stormwater pipes and overland flows discharge contaminated runoff into Buzzards Bay and its tributaries. Connected to these pipes are tens of thousands of catch basins and hundreds of miles of pipes that con-vey numerous allowed and illicit pollution discharges. New development adds stormwater to this discharge network. These stormwater discharges pose many threats to the environment, not the least of which is the closure of shell-fish beds and swimming beaches in Buzzards Bay. Federal permit programs that may require compliance with daily load limits for bacteria, and other requirements for municipal stormwater programs, could cost more than a $1 billion in the coming decades. These efforts, while costly and politically challenging, can reduce shellfish bed closures in Buzzards Bay and nitrogen reductions can contribute habitat improvements.

The ongoing development and redevelopment of land in the Buzzards Bay watershed must be better managed and reprogrammed to minimize new impacts and mitigate existing problems caused by stormwater discharges. This new approach, called low impact development (LID), can restore hydrological balances in watersheds and reduce water quality impairments.

Goals and Objectives

Changes: The goals and objectives were re-worded improve clarity and readability and to include climate elements. Four new objectives were added to clarify actions needed to meet stated goals.

Goal 3.1. Prevent new or increased untreated stormwater flows to Buzzards Bay and its watershed that would adversely affect water quality and habitat.

Goal 3.2. Manage stormwater runoff adversely affecting shellfishing areas, swimming beaches, water quality, wetlands, or exceeding total maximum daily load limits for nutrients, bacteria, and future pollutant limits.

Goal 3.3. Manage stormwater to help maintain and restore natural hydrologic conditions, recharge to groundwater, and to provide base flow conditions to streams and wetlands.

Goal 3.4. Encourage low impact development and green infrastructure approaches to minimize stormwater impacts from development and redevelopment.

Goal 3.5. Eliminate combined sewer overflow discharges to New Bedford waters.

Objective 3.1. Build local capacity to adopt and implement local and state low impact development and green stormwater infrastructure laws and regulations.

Objective 3.2. Implement effective stormwater pollution remediation projects that include proper design, construction, operation, and maintenance.

Objective 3.3. Provide guidance and incentives for low impact development that reduces stormwater runoff and the need for structural practices.

Objective 3.4. Ensure that federal stormwater discharge permits meet all watershed total maximum daily waste load allocations.

Objective 3.5. By 2030, municipalities should complete illicit discharge detection and elimination investigations on all stormwater discharges identified as high priority by the municipality.

Objective 3.6. Strengthen state and local stormwater treatment performance standards, to address climate driven degradation and better meet pollution reduction targets. (New)

Objective 3.7. DEP should update the 2008 Stormwater Handbook to reflect new regulations, priorities, and understandings. (New)

Objective 3.8. Fund novel or cost-effective approaches for diagnosing illicit connections and pollutant sources within stormwater networks to maximize water quality benefits of stormwater network assessments. (New)

Objective 3.9. Support efforts to eliminate combined sewer overflows in the City of New Bedford. (reintroduced from the 1992 Action Plan)